Trident: A Little Piece of Happy

Relaunching a Brand During the Recession.

Trident was relaunching in North America during the economic downturn. The brand had gone stale, and people needed a reason to care again—especially during a time when consumers were looking for affordable moments of optimism.

At JWT, I helped write and art direct a fully integrated campaign that positioned Trident as "a little piece of happy." We created eight 15-second spots, with three making it to broadcast TV. Each one captured a brief moment of everyday happiness, framed by the opening and closing of a Trident wrapper. They were intentionally short and sweet—meant to make you smile, not interrupt your day.

Looking back, we were ahead of the curve. Breaking away from traditional 60-90 second TV spots to focus on 15-second content meant we were creating what's now synonymous with social and viral content—years before Instagram and TikTok made that the standard.

The campaign also included a website (ALittlePieceofHappy.com) packed with interactive content, games, music, coupons, and sweepstakes—giving people multiple ways to engage with the brand.

Impact: The campaign got picked up by Adweek, Corporate Eye, and lifestyle blogs across the web. It successfully shifted Trident from a functional gum brand to an emotional one, connecting with people at exactly the right cultural moment.

Role: Art Direction, Copywriting